Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive imaging technique that may be used to display detailed tissue structures in the body of a patient. The displayed tissue structure may provide valuable information assisting in the diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions.
An MRI system may include three components or subsystems: a magnet with a main magnetic field, a gradient system, and a radiofrequency (RF) system. The main magnetic field produced by the magnet aligns the nuclear magnetization of atoms in the body of the patient. The gradient system spatially varies the main magnetic field with corresponding pairs of gradient coils, such that the position of a slice to be imaged may be precisely located. The RF system includes antennas (e.g., coils) that are used to send RF pulses (e.g., transmitter coils) and/or receive magnetic resonance (MR) signals (e.g., receiver coils). The RF pulses produce an electromagnetic field that flips or changes the alignment of the nuclear magnetization of the atoms. When the electromagnetic field is turned off, the nuclear magnetization of the atoms decays to the natural alignment of the atoms within the main magnetic field, and the atoms release excess stored energy. When the atoms release the excess stored energy, the atoms give off MR signals that are received by the receiver coils of the RF system and are used to construct image slices. The signal strength in a receiver coil depends on the volume of excitation in the coil and the distance to the object to be measured.
The MRI system may include RF coil units optimized (e.g., sized, shaped and positioned) for imaging different body parts of a patient. A spine coil unit including at least one RF coil may be positioned on a patient table of the MRI system to image the spine of the patient. MR signals received by the RF coil of the spine coil unit may be transmitted using one or more electrical or optical cables in communication with the RF coil. A user of the MRI system (e.g., a doctor or nurse) physically attaches (e.g., plugs) connectors of the one or more electrical or optical cables to corresponding MRI system-side connectors, such that the MR signals received by the RF coil of the spine coil unit are transmitted to the MRI system for further processing. If body parts other than the spine are to be imaged, the user may unplug the spine coil unit, transfer the spine coil unit to a storage location and electrically connect another RF coil unit (e.g., a breast coil unit) to the MRI system.